Turk Who Was Going to Redo 1401 Elm Now Has Big Plans For the Very Big 500 S. Ervay

Merriman Associates dispatched two renderings for 500 South Ervay. Here's one ...

​This morning I called Karl Zavitkovsky, head of the city's Office of Economic Development, about something more or less related when he mentioned the "Turkish Trump." Say what now? Ah -- turns out, he thought we wrote this piece about Mike Sarimsakci, the developer who came to the city with big plans for renovating 1401 Elm Street, so long as he got $30 million from the city in TIF assistance. But, nope, not us. Though, Karl, now that you mention it ...

Which is how we got on to the subject of redevelopment plans for both the George Dahl-designed former First National Bank on Elm and 500 South Ervay, the old Butler Brothers warehouse next to Dallas City Hall. Because in case you forgot, that building's also up for an overhaul courtesy some California investors ... with Sarimsakci, as it turns out, who's no longer involved with 1401 Elm Street. Sarimsakci doesn't say why, explaining via email from Istanbul that that he and Istanbul-based Polidev International "amicably departed our ways."

Downtown Dallas Inc. bossman John Crawford insists the 1401 Elm project's still "onward and upward." Matter of fact, he tells Unfair Park today, a new guy's coming to town at month's end to discuss that do-over.

"I have no reason to think anything's changed other than the point person," says Crawford in advance of Downtown Dallas Inc.'s annual meeting tomorrow. "We certainly hope so. That's a major project in downtown, and we've found there's
more and more interest in 1401 Elm. There are a lot of people interested in seeing it
does come to fruition who may or may not want to play a part in it. But
last word I had was onward and upward, and they were just transitioning between" players.

Sarimsakci says "it would not be appropriate for me to speculate as to what [Polidev's] plans are" for 1401 Elm. But he does offer a laundry list of possibilities for 500 South Ervay:

... and here's the other.

​Per his email:

Briefly we are redeveloping 650,000 sq ft Butler Building. It would be a mixed use project.

250 rental units

200 extended stay apartments; Hilton Home2 or Starwood Elements would be the flag.

Retail and Restaurant office space 80,000 sq ft.

Total development cost: $55 million

Architect: MMA Jerry Merriman

Contractor: Possibly Andres Construction

Seeking historical tax credit so we could restore the facade to its original brick facade.

Merriman's actually involved in both the Ervay and Elm projects; the Statler redo too. And Crawford mentions something in our chat that Sarimsakci neglected to point out in his email as a possibility for Ervay: "He's been talking to a
charter school," says DDI's president and CEO. "I don't know where that is, but he continues to talk
about more restaurant and retail use at ground level, so he's been drinking the
Kool-Aid and had gotten the word that's going to be the important part of any part
of project downtown."

Crawford, the chief booster for downtown, is optimistic both projects will move forward sooner than later. But as far as the city's concerned, they're both in holding patterns, at least "until a development plan is presented," says Zavitkovsky. He says as he understands it Polidev is conducting best-use studies for 1401 Elm while also feeling out interest in ground-level retail leasing.

"There was a preliminary plan presented for 1401 Elm, and we, based
on that, put together a TIF commitment, which is tied to delivery of
finished project," Zavitkovsky says. "And if it doesn't get started or finished in a certain
time, we have the ability to move on. For Ervay they're talking about residential
apartments, some type of hospitality, but I haven't seen any numbers put
to that. Till something concrete comes in place we're waiting back to
see what materializes."

Sarimsakci, in his email to me this afternoon, vows something tangible is coming sooner than later: "We like Dallas and Downtown Dallas," he writes by way of adios. "We will be investing more of our Dollars from Istanbul."

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Ahhh how I'd love to see this project come to term. I loathe 500 S. Ervay as it currently stands - a terrifically large eyesore that tends to stick out like a sore (and gangrenous and pustule-ridden...) thumb even in comparison to the, shall we say, austere immediate surrounding neighborhood.

I am, however, curious to know what the plan for shuttering the homeless away from the area would be in this fantasy mockup though. Maybe hand out some top-hats and possibly a spat or two? Just because you're homeless doesn't mean you have to look the part!

A little surprised that he would release names of partners, contractors and possible tenants before anything has been signed that we know of. Seems like a little ol' fashioned journalism could get to the bottom of this one real quick...

That always sound good, but I don't want downtownDallas to become a sanitized, de-funked entertainment zone like downtown Fort Worth. Downtown Dallas should be a variety of visions for a variety of people, not a single developer's dream. I can barely tell downtown Fort Worth from one of the many surburban "urban" town centers that dot the metroplex these days.

I'll give Mr. Headington credit for the Joule restoration and expansion, but he is about to demolish a significant portion of an historic block across the street with no immediate plans for the future development. Nothing like having another service parking lot downtown, this time next to Stone Street and the Wilson Building.